Souled Out? is a thought-provoking look at blacks’ status in the sporting landscape. It provides an honest perspective on what and who have and have not promoted the best interests of blacks, sport, and society at large while creating an authentic, forward-looking perspective that challenges all of us to address the obstacles that remain.

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Souled Out?

That’s the question author Shaun Powell poses and ultimately answers with regard to the nature of blacks’ participation in American sports. Neither blacks nor whites—athletes, coaches, administrators, owners, media, parents, and yes, even fans—are without blame for race still being an issue in the athletic arena. And Powell, perhaps like you, is fed up with the excuses.

Souled Out? boldly addresses the following dilemmas and more:

Do today’s black athletes and coaches have the purpose to follow the leads of pioneers like Jackie Robinson, Althea Gibson, Robert Johnson, or Tony Dungy?

Is Muhammad Ali’s great legacy being misused to justify the behavior of today’s prima donnas and their preconceived, self-centered celebrations?

Why, with tremendous models like Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Venus and Serena Williams, and Candace Parker, is black female participation not more encouraged across a wide array of sports?

Are portrayals of professional black athletes, centered on gaining luxury possessions and material wealth rather than giving back to the community, ensuring that a me-first mind-set carries over to the next generation of athletes?

Will more blacks break through the glass ceiling in coaching and sports management positions to achieve strong decision-making roles?

Can negative attitudes about race, held by segments inside and outside the black community, be overcome so that faster and enduring progress can be made in the future?

Shaun Powell is currently a sports-writer for NBA.com. Previously, he worked as a columnist at Newsday in New York for over 15 years. Powell is a distinguished writer and has been honored by the Associated Press Sports Editors, the New York Associated Press, the New York Deadline Club, the Basketball Writers Association, the United States Tennis Writers Association, and the National Association of Black Journalists.

Powell has worked in various sports-writing capacities at Newsday,Miami Herald, Dallas Times Herald, St. Louis Globe-Democrat, and Washington Post. He was once a regular contributor to The Sporting News. His assignments have taken him to Japan, Australia, South Africa, England, Scotland, Greece, and Italy, among other international sites, to cover a variety of events and sports, including the Olympics, Super Bowl, World Series, Masters, Wimbledon, NBA Finals, NCAA championships, and world championship boxing matches. He has appeared numerous times on local and national broadcast outlets, including CNN, ESPN TV and radio, the Madison Square Garden Network, MSNBC, ABC sports radio, WFAN, One-On-One Sports radio, and the Metro Channel’s Game Face Show.

Powell currently resides in Atlanta. He was born in Pittsburgh in 1960 and earned a journalism degree from HowardUniversity in 1983. He and his wife have a daughter.

"Souled Out? is absolutely must reading for anyone sincerely interested in developments at the interface of race, sport and society. In this regard, the book clearly portrays where we are as a society and where we are headed as a nation relative to these issues."

"Here is what you get with Shaun Powell: thoughtful, considerate, provocative, original commentary. Souled Out? is classic Shaun Powell. He tells us where we came from, where we are today and where we are headed in his unique, straightforward ‘dare I say so' way."

Jerry ReeseGeneral Manager, New York Giants

"Shaun has a way of reaching parts of your brain that previously went untapped. You read Souled Out? and you will see."

Terence MooreColumnist, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"Shaun Powell speaks the truth about how people felt on pivotal topics -- but didn't want to say themselves. This book will get you to think."